Vertical
by SummerDays721
Summary: Meeting someone after not seeing them for many years is hard for some, but for these two...it's too easy. They instantly find comfort in one another in complicated times. H/Hr. Please R/R.
1. Chapter 1

**Disclaimer: I do not own any part of the Harry Potter world.**

**A.N.: Just to let you know, everything from their time at Hogwarts is different from the way it was in the books. Okay? Enjoy!!**

I wanna have the same last dream again,  
the one where I wake up and I'm alive.  
Just as the four walls close me within,  
my eyes are opened up with pure sunlight.  
I'm the first to know,  
my dearest friends,  
even if your hope has burned with time,  
anything that's dead shall be re-grown,  
and your vicious pain, your warning sign,  
you will be fine.

-Angels and Airwaves

Chapter One: You Just Did.

Running seemed to be the only thing that could keep his mind in the clear. The sweat poured off of his face as his feet made quick and light contact with the ground. It was just too much to even think about what had happened only fourteen hours before. He had returned to the flat that he and his fiancée, Veronica, shared after a long and hard quidditch practice just to find her lips plastered onto another mans. They were both in a compromising position on the living room couch.

Harry had left the room as soon as he entered it and went straight to his favorite bar in London, Albannach. The low lighting in the room was as relaxing as the whiskey that had occupied his hand and temporarily his heart for the next few hours. That was until his best mate entered the bar for a drink after work to find his friend absolutely plastered. About twelve hours later Jake had gotten Harry to sober up and take a shower to get rid of the stench from the bar smoke and alcohol. Not too much later Harry found himself putting on his reliable running shoes and left the house to go for a long and steem blowing run. That was one of the only constructive ways that Harry could relieve his notorious temper.

Being blind with his thoughts, he didn't notice the runner coming around the corner of the apartment complex and ran right into her. Both runners fell to the tough ground rather heavily and groaned at their now aching bums.

"S..Sorry. I wasn't paying attention where I was going." Said Harry as he quickly got back up to his feet only to reach down to give the rather attractive woman a hand up.

"It's alright. I must say that I wasn't paying attention either." Smiled the young woman.

"You know, you look rather familiar. Do I know you?" Said Harry as he studied the woman's features intently. So intently that it made her blush under his gaze.

"Don't know. My name is Hermonie. Hermonie Granger." Said Hermonie as she held out her hand to shake with Harry's.

"Nice to meet you. I'm Harry Potter. Wait a minute… You went to Hogwarts. You were the top of my class. I remember you." Said Harry as he remembered back to his time at Hogwarts. "You were a rather smart witch. Top marks in everything."

"Ah yes, Hogwarts' bookworm. Always into her reading and studies. Yup, that was me." Grimaced Hermonie as she reflected onto her time at Hogwarts. The name calling and tormenting because of her 'blood' and the way she looked with her bushy hair and buck teeth. But at about the time when she was in her fifth year, she had began to fill out in all the right places, she had straight and smaller teeth, and her once bushy hair tamed out into long and bouncy curls that had a rather delightful caramel shine. She was to say in the least, a stunning young lady. By the time Hermione entered her seventh year at Hogwarts, many members of the male population were chasing her to capture her heart and her attention.

Now, five years later, Hermonie was five feet and ten inches tall with a lean and muscular figure that was appropriately defined. She wore a form fitting pink tank top with a pair of white shorts and white Nike shocks running shoes. She looked good and she knew it.

Harry, on the other hand was a tall and muscular six foot three inches man with a developed body complete with an eight pack rock solid set of abs. His hair was still raven black and if possible even more unruly, but it worked magic for his appearance. He definitely was a looker, definitely a ladies man. The type of man that could just waltz right into a club and come out with a girl on each arm.

"Hey. Sorry. But I got to go. I need to get back home, I'm gonna have some company over today, but if you're willing, we can hang out sometime. See you around." Said Hermonie as she parted from Harry and went back to her running.

"Hermonie! How am I to reach you?" Shouted Harry to Hermonies retreating form.

"Call me! My number is in your pocket!!" Shouted Hermonie without turning around as she continued running.

Sure enough, when Harry reached into his back pocket, there was a piece of paper folded up that had her number on it. "I love magic." Whispered a grinning Harry. He too went back to his run, only in the opposite direction that of Hermonie Granger's.

HPHPHP

"Dude. She's not the same looking Hermonie from school. She's actually pretty hot." Argued Harry into the phone as he and his best mate Ron Weasley talked about their days back in Hogwarts, especially of one Hermonie Jane Granger.

"_Harry, look, are you sure you didn't get her confused with some other chick?_" Asked an exasperated Ron.

"Of course I'm sure. Am I ever wrong? No wait...Don't answer that question." Said Harry as he rummaged through his cupboard for something to eat. He ended up just settling for some left over spaghetti.

"_Well, did you at least call her yet_?" Asked Ron impatiently.

"No! I don't want to come onto her like I am a desperate man or something! Merlins beard Ron." Retorted Harry as he produced a heating charm to warm up his spaghetti meal.

"_I'm sure she won't think of you as desperate if you called her tonight. Besides, she gave you her number. Right_?" Reasoned Ron thoughtfully.

"Yes, but...I think I would rather... enjoy running into her again... then invite her to share a tea or coffee with me..." Thought Harry in between bites of his leftover dinner.

"_Just call her already, Harry! What's the harm that could be done_?" Encouraged Ron, because he knew that Harry hadn't had a proper date in about four years. All he had was shagging buddies. Well, that was until Harry had met Veronica. He insisted that she was the one when he first laid eyes on her. More like when she laid eyes on him. It was time for the man to really settle down, like himself. Ron was happily married to Luna Lovegood. They have now been together for two years and were expecting their first child in seven months time. "_Besides, it would be a good chance to get back out there in the dating world. Who knows, maybe you getting a steady girlfriend for once might turn out to be a good thing for you_."

"You know Ron, you're right. It's about time for me to get myself a girl. I mean why didn't I see this before?-Honestly Ron...Are you serious? I haven't been on a real date in like four years. Not since I met Veronica. And to tell you the truth, I'm in no rush after what Veronica did to me. I'm surprised you're egging me to go on a date since I found Veronica this morning!"

"_Harry, Veronica was a royal bitch. She was so controlling of you and you didn't even realize it! Forget that slut and go out on a date. A proper one. Tonight! Who knows, there are many women out there Harry, you'll find you're soul mate. I just know it_!" Gushed Ron as he thought of Luna.

All of a sudden there was a low beeping noise emitting from Harry's phone.

"Hey Ron? I gotta go. Someone's calling in on the other line. Talk to you tomorrow at quidditch practice." Said Harry as he went to change lines to find out who was calling.

"_Yeah, whatever mate. See you tomorrow. By the way, if it's Veronica-bitch tell her-_" Harry didn't hear what else Ron had to say because he switched lines just before he could let Ron finish talking.

"Hello?" Called out Harry into the receiver.

"_Harry? It's Veronica_-" Began a sobbing Veronica on the other line.

"It's over Veronica." Said Harry calmly.

"_I was drunk_-" Cried Veronica into the phone.

"I don't care. This has been going on for far too long." Said Harry.

"_Who told you I had another boyfriend?_!" Said Veronica enraged. Funny how she switched emotions so quickly, thought Harry.

"You just did. Goodbye Veronica."

"_Har_-" But Harry had already hung up the phone. He didn't want to hear what Veronica had to say. There were already so many rumors he had heard about her, but he just chose to ignore them. How she slept with other men behind Harry's back. How she was only with Harry for the fame and fortune. Now, Harry realized that maybe he should have listened to what others were telling him. Honestly, how could he of let himself to be so blind?!


	2. Chapter 2: Listening

**A/N: Again, I own nothing… on with the story!**

Chapter 1: Listening

Hermione jittered in anticipation, waiting for her phone to ring. It had been five hours, twenty-three minutes, and thirty-seven seconds since she ran into Harry Potter. Literally.

She hoped that she left a good impression on the handsome bloke. She really enjoyed his presence for the short amount of time they were together.

RING!

RING!

Hermione didn't hesitate with snatching up her cell phone from the kitchen counter. Eagerly she opened her phone and spoke, "Hermione Granger speaking."

Retarded 'greeting' yes, but it would have to do since she was a doctor. Her cell phone also served as a work phone. She always looked forward to her monthly bill…not.

"_Hi. It's Harry. We ran into each other earlier today…"_ said Harry with a slight nervous tone of voice.

"Harry! Nice to hear from you! To what do I owe the pleasure?" Hermione joked while trying to ease Harry into conversation.

"_Well, I was wondering if you would like to join me tonight for a few drinks with a few mates of mine. Are you free?"_ Asked Harry with a sudden boldness; deep down he hoped that Hermione would accept his offer.

"Hmmm…" mumbled Hermione, making Harry squirm on the other side of the telephone, she took her time acting like she was debating whether she should go or not. "Sounds like a date! How about you pick me up at seven?"

"_Great! I mean, sure. So, ahh…can I have your address?_" Harry requested with happiness emitting from his voice. He was eager to see Hermione again. Maybe he was a little desperate. Who knows?

"I live at Pentdragon Estates, complex number 1, flat 30E. The complex is on the corner of Wabash and Templeton," Returned Hermione with excitement.

With that and a few exchanged goodbye's Hermione hung up the phone and made a beeline for her bathroom. She had to look good for her date with Harry.

HPHPHPHPHP

Harry stepped into his four car garage, debating which vehicle he wanted to drive. He had three to choose from. One was a 2009 Dodge Ram 3500, he drove his truck the most compared to his other two vehicles. The second he had to choose from was his pride and joy. It was his black and red 2010 Triumph Thunderbird 1600 motorcycle. This little filly wasn't even on the market yet. He had to tug a few strings and put up a hefty sum to get it, but it was definitely worth it. Harry touched his motorcycle with affection, longing to take it out for a cruise, but that would just have to wait for another day.

Finally, Harry arrived to his destination. His 2009 Dodge Viper SRT10 was his baby. It had a graphite metallic clear coat exterior paint, black leather interior, and a black soft top. His baby was riding with eighteen and nineteen inch forged polished razor wheels. He loved it. There was no doubt. Tonight he was going to travel in style. He wanted to show himself off and impress his old school mate.

Harry swiftly entered his car and turned the engine. It started with a low growl, happy to be in motion once again. Slowly Harry pulled out of the garage and onto the main road. His current destination was Pentdragon Estate.

HPHPHPHPHPHP

About twenty minutes later Harry pulled into the premiere Pentdragon Estates. The building which held the apartments looked magnificent. There were ten five story apartment complexes, and each complex had a total of six apartments on each floor. Each apartment was complete with three bedrooms, two and a half bathrooms, kitchen, and living room. The price to live in the Estates was not cheap by any means. But if you lived here, you were pretty much on top of the world. Rumor had it that some famous muggles live here. At least, that was what Harry heard.

Harry quickly pulled into a guest parking space and slid out of his car. Harry took a deep breath to collect himself before he made his way to the front steps of the apartment complex. Once he reached the entrance, he reached for the buzzer that read 30E. But before he placed his finger on it to ring it, a young couple had exited the building. Harry hurried forward to catch the closing door. As soon as Harry made it inside, he started to climb the stairs up to the fifth floor. Hermione's floor.

When he arrived to Hermione's door, he heard the soft pulse of music emitting from the flat. As he listened closer, he could hear Hermione singing along.

_And I said..._

Romeo take me somewhere, we can be alone.  
I'll be waiting; all there's left to do is run.  
You'll be the prince and I'll be the princess,  
It's a love story, baby, just say yes.

So I sneak out to the garden to see you.  
We keep quiet, because we're dead if they knew-  
So close your eyes... escape this town for a little while.  
Oh, Oh.

Cause you were Romeo - I was a scarlet letter,  
And my daddy said "stay away from Juliet" -  
but you were everything to me-  
I was begging you, please don't go-  
And I said...

Romeo take me somewhere, we can be alone.  
I'll be waiting; all there's left to do is run.  
You'll be the prince and I'll be the princess.  
It's a love story, baby, just say yes-

Romeo save me, they're trying to tell me how to feel.  
This love is difficult, but it's real.  
Don't be afraid, we'll make it out of this mess.  
It's a love story, baby, just say yes.  
Oh, Oh.

I got tired of waiting.  
Wondering if you were ever coming around.  
My faith in you was fading-  
When I met you on the outskirts of town.  
And I said...

Romeo save me, I've been feeling so alone.  
I keep waiting, for you but you never come.  
Is this in my head, I don't know what to think-  
He knelt to the ground and pulled out a ring and said...

Marry me Juliet, you'll never have to be alone.  
I love you, and that's all I really know.  
I talked to your dad -- go pick out a white dress  
It's a love story, baby just say... yes.  
Oh, Oh, Oh, Oh, Oh.

We were both young when I first saw you.

Harry shook himself from his reverie and brought his hand up to the door to knock.

_KNOCK! KNOCK! KNOCK!_

Hermione stilled. Surprised that someone was knocking on her door. Maybe it was her neighbor Mr. Garrison asking if she could babysit…

Hermione hurriedly shuffled to the door, throwing her black tank over her head. She quickly checked herself in her hallway mirror and smoothed out her shirt before she opened to door.

After swinging open the door to greet Mr. Garrison, she was surprised to see Harry standing at her doorstep.

"Harry! What? How did you?" Hermione questioned with confusion. She didn't remember hearing her buzzer alerting her of a visitor. And she most certainly didn't remember pressing a button to let the visitor in.

"I caught the door from an exiting couple. Thought I would surprise you. You upset?" Grimaced Harry thoroughly disappointed that his plan crashed in failure.

"No! I'm by no means upset. I'm just surprised! Let me just finish up here and then we can go. Okay?" Hermione offered with a smile.

Harry smiled, happy that Hermione wasn't upset with him. "That sounds like a plan," replied Harry.

"Great. Now, come on in. It will be a few minutes. Besides, I'll give you a chance to meet Nelsey. Nelsey! Come here girl!" Shouted Hermione. She was soon replied to with a soft bark. Harry braced himself. He wasn't sure what was in store for him. Nor was he sure who this Nelsey was. He soon found out as a beautiful golden retriever bounded into the greeting hall.

"Harry, I would like for you to meet Nelsey. Nelsey, this is Harry," smiled Hermione as she scratched Nelsey behind her ears. Nelsey responded by rubbing her head into her masters hand. "You can go ahead a pat her. She won't bite. Not unless she feels as if I am in danger. You're not dangerous, are you?" Teased Hermione with a smile.

Harry gulped. He was never good with dogs. It seemed like they never liked him. Other than Snuffles, but Snuffles was a whole other story. Slowly Harry extended his hand out to Nelsey, cautious of any sudden movements. As Alastor Moody always says, "constant vigilance Potter!"

Nelsey just sniffed Harry's hand and then rubbed her head into his hand. A clear sign of trust. But first she wanted to test how good of a head scratch she could get out of him.

Hermione just smiled as she observed Harry and Nelsey. It seemed as if they were getting along just fine; which was good because Nelsey was a very important constant to her. After a minute or two of observation, Hermione deducted that both man and animal were fine to leave alone, so she headed back to her room to finish getting ready.

As soon as Hermione left the room, Nelsey's manner changed immediately. The look that she gave Harry was one of 'Hurt my master and I will make you suffer.' Harry just gulped and gave a shaky laugh.

"Don't worry. I have no intentions of hurting Hermione." Harry whispered to the dog with confidence. Nelsey seemed to take him for his word and proceeded to make her way for the living room where she made herself comfortable on a white plush couch. Harry soon followed suit and made himself comfortable in the reclining chair.

About ten minutes later, Hermione arrived into the living room looking about for Harry. She soon spotted him slouched down in her chair nodding off. She just laughed and walked over to Harry and proceeded to wake him up. They were supposed to go out for drinks after all!

"Harry!" Said Hermione softly as she gently shoved Harry, trying to wake him up. Nelsey did one better and barked, stirring Harry from his light slumber.

"What? Ron give a man some time to sleep..." Mumbled Harry as he rolled over trying to get comfortable. Hermione just giggled and shoved Harry a second time. "Ron," began Harry, "practice isn't for another hour! Go back to Luna's!"

"You know," Hermione began loudly, "I'm no Ron, so I'm not going anywhere!" With that Hermione pulled Harry off of the chair. The only sounds that could be heard be heard was the thump from Harry making contact with the ground and his suprised shout. This only made Hermione laugh even harder.

Harry couldn't believe it! He was sitting on the ground. When did he fall asleep? He couldn't even remember...And now he had this beautiful goddess laughing at him. He knew he was going to have a great night.

"Nice. That was really nice Hermione! My bum is now premanently injured!" Joked Harry as he pulled himself up off of the floor.

"Well, how about if you go sit in the snow? That should make it feel better!" Smiled Hermione. "Besides, I thought we were going to go have some drinks with a few of your mates?" Continued Hermione as she sat down on the arm of the recliner.

"Well, how about if we just stay here so I can keep you all to myself?" Asked Harry as he took in Hermione's appearance.

Hermione was wearing a short black off-the-shoulder dress. The slinky dress accentuated her every curve. Harry's eyes continued down her body to her long tan legs that were supported by a pair of black high heels. Harry's gaze focused back on Hermione's face. She wore light make up. Only mascara and lip gloss. She looked beautiful. Her hair cascaded down her back in loose banana curles and framed her delicate heart-shaped face.

Hermione just smiled at Harry's comment. She knew that she looked good. She did it for Harry. And herself. She hadn't gone out on a date in months. Being a full time healer kept her busy, she knew that. But she didn't realise that her work was becoming her life.

"Alright. Let's go, so I can show you off. You look absolutely beautiful tonight." Smiled Harry as he lent Hermione his arm. Together they walked out of the flat and Harry side-along appearated Hermione to the night club where they were to meet his friends.


End file.
